Design Dish: An EV Delorean, a bamboo car and a mesh museum

The New Taipei Museum of Art: One of the most remarkable proposals for the New Taipei Museum of Art came from Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma, who created a massive “Green Cell” from layers of fiberglass mesh. The design explores the concept of “in-between” space, the structure extending into the nearby parks, riverbank, and train station, with trees and foliage growing up into the ceiling.

The Phoenix Bamboo Concept Car: Looking for a hip new transportation method that will impress all your designer friends? Kevin Cobonpue and product designer Alrecht Birkner collaborated on a bamboo car (more of a go-cart, really) made to look like a leaf. Lightweight and speedy, the vehicle is meant to challenge the assumption that cars have to be made from heavy metals. Of course, the kicker is that heavy metals can protect you in a car wreck, while delicate bamboo strips will snap along with all of your bones.

The Electric Delorean:’80s babies, rejoice! At a recent Texas car show, an electric version of Doc’s Delorean (the kick-ass flying car from BACK TO THE FUTURE) made its debut. Apparently, the company plans to produce the retro model by 2013, with prices between $90 and $100k.

Oregon Manifest Bicycle Design: Oregon’s Manifest Bicycle Design competition is a six-month challenge pitting top designers and bike-builders against one another to create the ultimate urban cycle. As one might expect, the results are pretty spectacular, with finished designs addressing the needs of any-and-all varieties of urban life. My personal favorite was “the Local,” born out of a collaboration between Fuseproject and Sycip. Equipped with a surfboard rack and an extra seat, I would kill to take this thing on a sunny beach excursion.